EDITORIAL: SWAT unit goes by the book to save life

4:33 PM,
Apr. 17, 2013

Written by

The Daily News Journal

Smyrna Police and Rutherford County Sheriff's Office quelled the notion recently that law enforcement officers are trigger-happy people looking for their next target.

A five-hour standoff with a suicidal man in Smyrna last week gave local officers the opportunity to put their negotiating skills, training and patience to work. They proved that they can end the threat, ensure safety and keep people alive to see another day.

It happened April 9 when officers were called to the scene of a potential suicide on Ella Street where 64-year-old Michael Cowger, former treasurer of the Rutherford ...